LOGIN"I'm what?" I looked down at Edmund from above."My father is one of the highest-ranking officials in this country, and my mother is the daughter of the wealthiest family in the southern area. Did you really think a minor official like you could touch me?"Edmund was trembling from head to toe, his lips quivering, but he could not manage a single word.From inside the cage, Josy shrieked like a thing possessed. "Edmund! Kill her! Kill her!"I ignored her and turned to leave. At the doorway, I paused and glanced back at him."Oh, and one more thing. I have already asked my father to file a formal petition against you. Embezzling your wife's dowry, conspiring with a mistress to murder the lady of the house, plotting to kill your wife and seize her assets. Those charges alone should be more than enough to bury you."Edmund crumpled to the floor as though every bone in his body had given out.I walked back to the main hall and Ember came to meet me. "My lady, the letter has been del
Josy had seven kittens, every single one a stillborn. I pulled on my outer robe and went to the shed.Josy lay in the cage, drenched in blood, her belly deflated. Beside her were seven tiny, purplish-black kittens, completely motionless.When she saw me come in, she strained to lift her eyelids. Her mouth opened and closed weakly."Leah... You... You're heartless..."I crouched down and looked at her calmly. "Heartless? All I did was find you 50 toms. And that makes me heartless?"What about you, in my last life? You latched onto me day and night, draining my life away. You made me watch myself age a little more with every passing day, and watch my own child die inside me. What would you call that?"Tears spilled from Josy's cat eyes. "I... I didn't have a choice... I was dying... I...""You were dying, so I had to die instead?" I cut her off. "Your life matters, but mine doesn't?"Josy's mouth moved, but nothing came out. I stood up and looked down at her."Don't worry. I won
I turned and walked toward the door but stopped just before stepping out. I glanced back at him. "Oh, one more thing. I've already had the cat sent back to the shed. She's still carrying kittens, so she needs to be looked after properly."Edmund opened his mouth as if to speak, but not a single word came out. I stepped out of the bedroom and Ember hurried over, lowering her voice. "My lady, something seems off with the cat. She's been crying since last night, and the sound is absolutely chilling.""Let's go have a look."In the shed, Josy was curled up in the corner of her cage. Her belly was even bigger than the day before, swollen so tight it looked ready to burst. The moment she saw me walk in, she let out a shrill hiss and scrambled as far back as she could."What are you so afraid of?" I crouched down and peered at her through the bars. "I'm here to check on you today, not to find you more husbands."Josy was shaking from head to tail, her cat eyes filled with nothing but fea
"My lady, Mr. Hughes has taken a lantern and headed for the backyard. He's carrying a shovel."I set down my comb, put the false skin mask back on, draped my outer robe over my shoulders, and made my way slowly to the backyard.The night wind was bitterly cold.I stood in the shadows of the covered walkway and watched from a distance as Edmund knelt before Jocelyn's grave. He stuck the lantern into the ground and drove the shovel into the earth, one stroke at a time.Moonlight fell across his face. His expression was a tangled mess of shock, fear, and guilt.The soil came up layer by layer. He dug for a long time.Finally, the shovel struck something solid. Edmund tossed it aside, dropped to his knees, and clawed the loose dirt away with his bare hands. The coffin came into view. He took a deep breath and shoved the lid open. Inside was nothing but a single white porcelain urn.Edmund lifted the urn out and removed the lid. Inside were pale gray ashes, still faintly warm from th
Once inside, I reached up and peeled the false skin mask from my face, revealing the smooth, firm complexion underneath.Ember handed me a warm towel. I wiped my face and sank comfortably into the chaise."The 50 feral toms, are they all taken care of?"Ember nodded. "Every last one has been released back onto the streets. There's not a single one left to find."I smiled with satisfaction.Seven days ago, Ember had brought the 50 feral toms in heat into the shed behind the main house.I had given her specific instructions to pick the biggest, strongest, and wildest ones she could find, the kind covered in scars from a lifetime of street fights. Those were the ones with the most stamina.I placed Josy's cage in the center of the shed and opened the door.She shrank into the corner, every hair on her body standing on end, letting out a hoarse snarl in my direction."Don't be scared." I crouched down and smiled at her sweetly. "I picked out so many handsome little husbands for yo
Edmund's face turned ashen. He stared hard at the round-bellied cat inside the cage.Josy was curled up in the corner. Her once sleek white fur was filthy and matted, her limbs thin as sticks, and her belly grotesquely swollen. She lifted her head, her cat eyes brimming with tears, and let out a feeble, pitiful cry toward Edmund."Leah Gilbert!" Edmund all but roared. "How dare you...""How dare I what?" I straightened up slowly from my hunch, trembling as I leaned on my cane. My clouded eyes gazed at him with pure innocence."The cat went into heat and was crying all through the night. I felt so terrible for her that I found a few toms to help. I was only doing it for her own good."A vein at Edmund's temple was visibly throbbing. He looked down at Josy's belly. There had to be at least seven or eight kittens in there."A few?" He was speaking through clenched teeth.I counted on my fingers and smiled warmly, like a kindly old grandmother."Around 50, I'd say. I had Ember find







